The invention relates to a monofilament with a diameter of less than 0.1 mm formed of a polyethylene terephthalate/polydialkyl siloxane, in which the proportion of polyethylene terephthalate is at least 85 percent by weight, for the production of woven fabrics, and to a method of making a woven fabric from this monofilament.
When weaving densely woven fabrics from fine monofilaments of polyester, the surface of the monofilament will often peel away or split off. The peeled off residue is deposited on the weaving reeds. This frequently renders weaving impossible or excessively shortens the cleaning cycle for the weaving machine. Peeling also causes a deterioration in the quality of the woven fabric, particularly due to clogging of the fabric openings. This phenomenon is due to poor abrasion resistance in the polyester monofilaments, for instance, compared with polyamide monofilaments.
Fine monofilaments are understood in the present context to mean monofilaments with a diameter in the range of 0.01 to 0.1 mm.
There have been many attempts to improve the weavability of fine monofilaments of polyester. For example, attempts have been made avoid the disadvantage of insufficient weavability by producing a core/sheath monofilament with a polyamide sheath. However, this solution increases the cost of producing the monofilament and is accordingly uneconomical.
Also known are monofilaments with a fine diameter, so-called bicomponent threads, whose core is made from a different copolyester than the sheath (EP-A-0 399 053). In this way, relatively fine polyester monofilaments which can be woven virtually without abrasion have been successfully produced by chemically modifying the sheath. However, as in the above example, the elevated operating costs in manufacturing the core/sheath threads is also disadvantageous.
It is also known (EP-A-0 269 023) to produce silicon-modified polyesters in the form of matrix fibers. In so doing, the silicon matrix serves as protection against mechanical loading of the fiber during weaving and other textile processes. Coatings in all forms are disadvantageous for fine monofilaments, because peeling and increased splitting or fibrillation render weaving impossible. Moreover, the process of coating monofilaments is costly.